Sheet stacking machines



Aug. 27, 1963 G. s. RHlcARD ETAL 3,101,638

SHEET STACKING MACHINES Filed June 29, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l Gevuld iaicaid,

Josep@ d.' was@ Al1g- 27, 1963 G. s. RHlcARD ETAL 3,101,638

SHEET sTAcKING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1959 ,e le W GevaldRztcarfd,

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United States Patent O 3,101,638 S 111111 STACKlNG MACHlNE Gerald S. Rhicard and Joseph .1. Wilson, Staunton, Va.,

assignors to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation ot Pennsylvania Filed .lune 29, 1959, Ser. No. 823,703 4 Claims. (Cl. 831-95) This invention relates to machines vfor cutting olf and stacking thin metal sheets from sheet stock as it emerges from punch presses.

What lare lgenerally known as plate-type tins are widely used in heat exchange coils, and yare parallel, spaced-apart metal sheets in contact with the external surfaces of a group of spaced-apart, heat exchange tubes. Heretofore, such iins have been thick enough to possess sufficient strength and rigid-ity for handling and stacking prior to being assembled in coils. Recently, as disclosed in the ico-pending application of Ancel L. Lee, Ir., tiled concurrently with this application, it has been possible to .greatly reduce the thicknesses of such tins without sacrifice in heat transfer. This has resulted, however, in the iins being so thin that they do not have suicient rigidity for handling and stacking using .the usual rnethods.

Our invention provides automatic stacking of such thin tins as they emerge from a press. In one embodiment of our invention, a suction box has a horizontally extending bottom with perforations therein which are staggered with respect to the perforations in the fin. A motor driven fan has its air inlet connected by a duct to the suction box for providing the necessary suction. A damper is provided in the duct for turning on and oif the suction. As a 1in emerges from the press, it passes under the suction box va predetermined distance while suction is applied to it to hold it in a horizontal path. At .the end of its forward travel, a solenoid actuated knife cuts the iin from the sheet stock. Concurrently, a solenoid closes the damper, cutting offthe suction, and permitting the lin to drop.

Below the suction box is a stacker having a plurality of vertically extending guide rods aligned with circular holes in the iin being held bythe suction box. When a fin is released by the suction box, the guide rods maintain it in its proper position on the stacker so that it will This invention will now be described with reference to the annexed drawings, of which:

FIG. l is la side View of a machine embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the bottom of the ysuction box of FIG. 1;

aromas Patented Aug. 27, 1963 ice ' and L2 when connecte-d to the latter by a control 26 on the cylinder 16.

To the left of the knife 22 is a suction box 30 having a horizontally extending bottom 31 slightly above the path of fthe iin stock emerging from the press 15. The bottoni 31 has a plurality of spaced-apart slots 3-2 extending therethrough, The slots 32 are arranged as shown by FIG. 2. to be out of alignment with the circular openings 21 in a iin '20 properly positioned under the suction box bot-torn.

The interior of the suction box 30 is connected by duct 3-3 with the air inlet of afan 34 of the centrifugal type, having a tangential air outlet 35'. The fan is driven through belt 36 by an electric motor`37. The du-ct 313 has a damper 38 therein which is connected to plunger 4l) of a solenoid 41. The solenoid 41 is connected in shunt to the solenoid 24 so that both are energized land deenergized at the same time. v

Below the suction box 30 is a stacker 42 having a horizontally extending, fin receiving shelf 43 which is adapted to be lowered by mechanism ywhich is not shown, as iins dropped by the suction box 3i) accumulate upon it. The'stacker `42 has spaced-apart, vertically extending,

. guide rods 45 which are aligned with openings 21 in a iin being held by suction against the bottom of the suction box.

The machine kof FIG. 1 is designed to produce tins having different lengths, and requiring tdilferent numbers of strokes of the press 15. An operator would set the control 26 to cause the solenoid 24 to be energized to actuate. the knife 22 to cut-off a :tin 20 from the punched stock, after a predetermined number of strokes of the press 15. n

Y Operation In operation, vthe rolls 12 advance sheet 10 from 'the roll 11 until stopped by the press 15. The press cylinder 16 raises and lowers the upper die 13 in a predetermined number of strokes set by the control 26, until a iin hardng the desired length has `been produced and moved forwardly under the bottom 3,1 of the suction box 301. The fan 34 is in operation during this time so that suction is applied by lthe suction box to hold the punched sheet against its bottom. When the desired length of iin sheet has been moved forwardly, the control 26 energizes the solenoids 24 and 41. The solenoid 24 actuates the knife 7.2 to cut the iin from the punched sheet. 41 adjusts the ydamper 38 in the fan duct 3-3 to closed position, cutting off the suction applied to the iin and FIG. 3 is an end view of the suction box, and the f upper portion of the stacker; FIG.,l 4 iis an enlarged, fragmentary top plan view of a iin which is produced and stacked, and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of thel trolled by a cam which is not shown, of the press. The dies 13 and 114 are designed to punch the sleeves 13 and louvers 19 on a iin 2li as shown by FIGS. 4 and 5. The

f lin, showing a sleeve and a pair of louvers `formed inthe permitting the cut-olf iin to drop. i

. The yguiderods 45 of the stacker. 42am Ialigned with corresponding openings 21 in the cut-off fin, and guide the latter onto the shelf 43 As the cut-oli:` ns pile up on the shelf 43, the guiderods -45 maintain them in alignment.

The press A15 continues to operate until the stacker 42 l the fin contact the bottom of the suction box, and space' the body of the `iin the suction box so that air can be drawn into the suction box in the space between its The solenoid bottom and the -flat main body of the 1in, the fan 34 has suliicient capacity rto talee in such `by-.pass air land still maintain suicient suction to hold the iin against the bottorn of the suction box until the damper 3S is closed.

What is :claimed is:

l. In combination lWith a punch press having means for working onsheet metal stock, and having power vdriven rolls for passing said stock substantially horizontally through and beyond said press, a suction box having a substantially 'honizontally extending bottom above the path of the yworked-on sheet as it emerges from said press, said bottom having a plurality of spaced-apart pertorations extending therethrough, means for applying 'suction to the interior of said box for causing suction through said perforations to hold a Worked-on sheet against said bottom, means .between said press and bottom for severing a worked-on sheet from said stock, means for operating said severing means after said sheet is held against said bottom and means for concurrently disabling said suction app-lying means to penmit the severed sheet to `fall from said bottom.

2. In combination with a punch press having means for Working on sheet metal stock, and having power driven rolls for passing said stock substantially horizontally through fand beyond said press, means for counting the number of strokes of said press, a suotion box having a substantially horizontally extending bottom above the path of the worked-on sheet as it emerges from said press, said bottom. having a plurality yof spaced-apart per- `forations extending therethrough, means for applying suotion .to the interior of said box for causing suction through said perforations t-o hold -a` Worked-on sheet `against said bottom, means between said press and bottom for severing a Worked-on sheet from said stock, and means connected `to said counting means for operating said severing means to sever the Worked-on sheet from said stock and for disabling said suction applying means to permit the severed sheet to tall lfrom said bottom.

3. In combination with a punch press having means for punching a plurality of spaced-apart, circular holes in sheet metal stock, and having power `driven rolls for passing said stock through and beyond said press, a suction box having a substantially hoiizontally extending bottom above the path of the Worked on sheet as it emerges from said press, said bottom having a plurality of spaced- `apant perforations extending therethrough, means for applying suction to the interior of said box for lcausing Cil suction through said pertorations -to hold a worked-on sheet against said bottom, means between said press and bottom for severing a worked-on sheet from said stock, a ystacker under said box, said stacker having a plurality of substantially vertically extending rods aligned with the holes in `a worked-on sheet held against said bottom, means for operating said severing means after said sheet is held :against said botto-1n, and means for concurrently disabling said suotion means .to permit the severed sheet to `fall onto said stacker with said rods guiding said severed sheet into position on sai-cl stacker.

4. ln combination with a punch press having means for punching a plurality of spaced-apart, circular holes in sheet met-al stock, and having power driven rolls for passing said stock through and beyond said press, a suction box having a substantially horizontal-ly extending bottom above the path `of the Worked-on sheet as it emerges .from said press, said bottom having a plurality of spaced-apart perforations extending therethrough, means for applying suotion to the interior of said box lfor causing suction through said perforations to hold a Worked-on sheet against said bottom, means between said press and bottom for severing a worked-on sheet from said stock, means for counting the number of strokes of said press, a stacker under said box, said stacker having a plurality of substantially vertically extending guide rods aligned with the |holes in a Worked-on sheet held against said bottom, and means connected to said counting means for operating said severing means to sever the worked-on sheet from said stock and tor .disabling said suction applying means yfor permitting the severed sheet to fall onto said stacker with said rods guiding the severed sheet into position on said stacker.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,124,360 Tholl Jan. 12, 1915 2,281,439 Heftler Apr. 28, 1942 2,315,256 Haegle et Ial Mar. 30, 1943 2,486,196 Nebolsine Oct. 25, 1949 2,529,750 Weingant Nov. 14, 1950 2,698,097 Y Magnani ec. 28, 1954 2,769,495 Pomper Nov. 6, 1956 t 2,813,637 Perry Nov. 19, 1957 2,872,979 Schultz Feb. 10, 1959 2,895,552 Pompei* et al. July 21, 1959 2,927,707 Reed Mar. 8, 1960 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A PUNCH PRESS HAVING MEANS FOR WORKING ON SHEET METAL STOCK, AND HAVING POWER DRIVEN ROLLS FOR PASSING SAID STOCK SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY THROUGH AND BEYOND SAID PRESS, A SUCTION BOX HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING BOTTOM ABOVE THE PATH OF THE WORKED-ON SHEET AS IT EMERGES FROM SAID PRESS, SAID BOTTOM HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED-APART PERFORATIONS EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, MEANS FOR APPLYING SUCTION TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID BOX FOR CAUSING SUCTION THROUGH SAID PERFORATIONS TO HOLD A WORKED-ON SHEET AGAINST SAID BOTTOM, MEANS BETWEEN SAID PRESS AND BOTTOM FOR SEVERING A WORKED-ON SHEET FROM SAID STOCK, MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID SEVERING MEANS AFTER SAID SHEET IS HELD AGAINST SAID BOTTOM AND MEANS FOR CONCURRENTLY DISABLING SAID SUCTION APPLYING MEANS TO PERMIT THE SEVERED SHEET TO FALL FROM SAID BOTTOM. 